


Opal City

by BridgetteIrish



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Humor, confessions in the dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:29:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8976058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetteIrish/pseuds/BridgetteIrish
Summary: Secret Santa Prompt: In Kara's final days as Cat's assistant, and Cat's final days as the CEO of CatCo, Cat is required to travel somewhere (choose your own adventure for whatever Cat's next big thing is) and she takes Kara with her.OK, so I took a few liberties with the adventure and the timeline.  I hope you don't mind!Merry Christmas my friend!  I'm glad I drew your name!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ratherembarrassing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratherembarrassing/gifts).



> An enormous thank you to kara-lesbihonest for the edits and to reginalovesemma for ripping this thing open and shoving in so much more gay.

Cat’s memories of Opal City were many and varied. The very thought of visiting the city no longer caused the panic and scotch cravings that it once did, but Cat would be lying if she said there wasn’t a sinking feeling in her stomach as the pilot announced their imminent descent and landing.

“Anything you need, Miss Grant?” Kara covered her yawn and tried to stretch within her own space. Even in first class, her long arms and legs threatened to encroach upon Cat’s well-guarded personal bubble. 

Cat focused on the tablet in her lap and the slowly rising anxiety that had settled in her chest. She pointedly ignored the toned, tanned arm that made it’s way into her peripheral vision.

Kara dug her phone out of the seat pocket in front of her and tapped at it for a few seconds. “As soon as we land, I’ll double check the hotel reservation. If we can get a cab quickly, we should be able to check in before 7:00. Your dinner reservation is at 8:30, so you should have time to freshen up and get some coffee.”

“Mmhmm,” was all Cat could muster as she tapped absentmindedly at her screen before tossing it haphazardly in the bag at her feet. She pressed her fingers to her eyelids in an effort to quell the throb in her head and the roil in her stomach. A warm, slender hand wrapped around her wrist and the feeling of calm that washed over her was instant and almost overwhelming. Kara could always tell when the anxiety took over, and whether she knew it or not, she had become an expert at relaxing her, if only for a moment. She heaved a sigh and turned her head to meet Kara’s helpful, earnest eyes.

“What can I do, Miss Grant?”

“Nothing.”

“Miss Grant?”

Cat turned away with a small wave of her fingers and stared out the window as the plane descended, landed and taxied to the jetway.

Kara let it go for the moment, but kept a wary eye on Cat and the tiny twitch in her shoulder that came out when the nerves really got the better of her. Kara knew she had an important meeting tonight. Whatever it was would affect Cat’s future away from CatCo. That thought gave rise to Kara’s own anxiety, but she pressed it down in favor of caring for Cat at this moment. It was likely the last time she’d be given the opportunity. What Kara truly questioned was why Cat had asked for her help. This was the kind of business trip Cat could complete with her eyes closed. It didn’t make sense for her to beg for Kara’s company. 

It wasn’t until they were in the cab on the way to hotel that Kara found her voice again. She turned in her seat slightly so she faced Cat, who still seemed distracted and restless, unable to sit still, but unwilling to speak or move. Kara was concerned, so she brushed aside any fear of the infamous Cat Grant wrath to try to help set her boss’s mind at ease.

“Miss Grant?”

“Hmm?” Cat’s eyes remained fixed on the passing city darkening in the approaching twilight. 

“Why am I here?”

Cat rolled her eyes and scoffed quietly, but gave no other answer.

“I only mean, I’m not your assistant any more. Eve could have accomplished all of this. I’m just trying to understand what it is you want me to do for you while I’m here.”

Cat’s eyes dropped from the window to where her hands lay in her lap. She looked as though she was weighing whether to deflect and insult or be honest. Honesty, it seemed, won out in the end. 

“You caught me, Kara.” Her eyes returned to the Opal City skyline. “I suppose the truth is that I didn’t need an assistant. I suppose the truth is that I needed a friend.”

Kara had only seen Cat Grant in this state of uncertainty once in all the time she had known her. And that was when…

The penny dropped and so did any question in Kara’s mind of why she’d been brought.

“Oh,” Kara breathed. “You’re here to see Adam.” At this realization, Kara turned away and fixed her gaze out her own window, mirroring Cat’s posture.

“You’re so much better at talking to him,” Cat intimated quietly.

Kara’s mood darkened in an instant and she couldn’t help but snap a bit. “He doesn’t want to see me. And frankly, Miss Grant, after what you put me through when he left, I can’t imagine you’d want me anywhere near him.” Kara folded her arms over her middle and now it was Cat’s turn to face Kara head on.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Kara’s jaw dropped as her head slowly turned to face an indignant Cat who had set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. It was as if she was daring Kara to call her out on her vindictive retaliation while at the same time expecting her meek, mild, former assistant to back down. But underneath the glasses and cardigans, Kara Danvers was still Supergirl, and the memories of those weeks after Adam, through the Black Mercy, through Red K, through Barry and ‘strictly professional’ all washed over her. She fought back tears and steeled for a fight that had been postponed far too long.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about?” She clenched her fists and took a deep breath.” Kara had told herself long ago she would let that time go. Confronting Cat about it wouldn’t do either of them any good. It was in the past.

But Cat’s utter denial of her revenge lit a fire in Kara that flared quickly. Her teeth ground together and the tension became palpable. “Something you’d like to share with the class, Kara?”

Kara shook her head. Her tears stung hotter, but she was determined to hide them.

“You clearly have something to say to me, so… out with it.”

Kara’s fingernails dug into her knee and before she could stop them, the words came out in a rush.

“So Siobhan was just a really good assistant, was she? And she was hired to help me out when my job became too overwhelming, I suppose? She wasn’t in any way a punishment or your message to me that I was replaceable or that I wasn’t stylish or ambitious enough for you or that you didn’t care about me at all?” Kara wiped angrily at her cheeks and fought to keep from crying openly as the cab pulled up to the hotel. “Message received, Cat. The least you could do is admit what it was.”

Kara leapt from the cab and had pulled all of the luggage from the trunk and headed for the entrance as Cat hastily threw a $50 at the cabbie and followed.

“Kara!” Cat called as Kara disappeared inside.

Cat followed. She found Kara, professional mask in place, chatting with the front desk clerk, arranging Cat’s wake up call and typical request for extra pillows and towels.

Kara checked them in as efficiently as ever and she refused to meet Cat’s eyes as she gathered their luggage alone and headed for the elevators. The air between them was charged and Cat wanted to diffuse it. But Kara’s features were cold and closed, so she maintained her silence.

Cat gave Kara a few agonizing minutes alone before knocking gently on the door connecting their rooms. “Kara? Please open up. I refuse to talk to you through a hotel room door.” Cat laid a hand on the smooth wood. “You… might not be entirely wrong… about Siobhan…” She rolled her eyes at her own admission. She’d hoped this entire issue was dead and buried, but Kara had clearly carried it with her all this time.

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Kara leaned her head against the doorframe and Cat took in her red-rimmed eyes and tired expression. Guilt washed over her. She never let her guilt show, but she did feel it more frequently than she cared to admit, born from years of criticism from her never satisfied mother. 

Cat had taken longer than usual to unpack her suitcase in the hopes of giving Kara a few extra minutes to pull herself together. One look at Kara in the doorway proved her wrong. She hadn’t heard Kara’s sobs from the other room, but the tears still swimming in blue depths told Cat she had been crying in solitude. While Cat knew she was the cause of those tears, she was suddenly at a loss how to soothe them.

She decided on the truth, without sarcasm or snark. “You’re right.” Cat wasn’t about to waste time trying to make up excuses. “Siobhan was a punishment. Adam left me because you didn’t want him and I wanted to make you feel the way I felt in that moment.” Kara nodded and kept her eyes fixed on Cat’s. “But you should know,” Cat continued, meeting Kara’s eyes. “The moment she handed me that disgusting organic coffee and I saw the look on your face when I called you Assistant Number Two, the whole thing seemed so petty.” She pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep from admitting too much.

Kara did not respond. Cat cleared her throat and cursed herself for her inability to keep the admissions coming. “I wanted to fire her that instant. But you know me. I was in too deep at that point. I couldn’t back down or admit I was wrong.” Kara sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but Cat beat her to it. “I’m sorry, Kara,” she breathed out in a rush. It sounded desperate and genuine and pleading and Cat hated and loved it all at once. “I really am very sorry.”

Kara stepped more fully into the doorway as her eyes filled again, and twisted her hands in front of her. “Apology accepted.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

Cat returned the smile and gave a gallic shrug. “If it makes you feel any better, enduring her short tenure was punishment enough.”

Kara laughed and wiped her eyes again. “It does help a little, actually. To know you found her as insufferable as I did.”

Cat rolled her eyes and turned back to her room. “We have a lifetime to exchange stories about that banshee. Right now, I need a shower and coffee.”

“I’ll go find you a decent latte, Miss Grant.”

“You always do,” Cat smiled and took in the shine in Kara’s eyes, her soft smile and the way her hair had started to come loose from her braid and was brushing against her flushed cheeks. She couldn’t allow herself to indulge in fantasies she had suppressed long ago, so she gripped the door in a clear message that it was time she get ready. “Chop chop, Kara.”

Kara grinned and closed the door between them.

Thirty minutes later Kara knocked gently on the adjoining door. “Your latte, Miss Grant?” she half shouted. Cat swung the adjoining door open, dressed in a terrycloth robe and rubbing a towel through her damp curls. 

Kara turned around and faced her own room. One glimpse of Cat, freshly showered, all pink skin and smelling of jasmine and lilies sent Kara reeling. She was suddenly both relieved and saddened that she wouldn’t be spending the evening by Cat’s side. She licked her lips and shook her head in an effort to purge the image that was now burned so beautifully in her memory. 

Cat’s voice broke her thought spiral. “Set it on the nightstand, we need to leave in-” She stopped short upon getting a good look at Kara, dressed in gaudy leggings adorned with Christmas trees and a kelly green v-neck that showed off her toned biceps with distracting precision. “Kara, why the hell aren’t you dressed? The car will be here in twenty minutes.”

Kara gathered her courage, took a deep breath, facing Cat head on and broke the news. “I won’t be joining you and Adam for dinner tonight.”

“What?” Cat was confused. She had apologized. They’d made up. They’d agreed that Cat had messed up and that Siobhan was awful and that they could get past all of it. Her world tilted on its axis again at the thought of dinner alone with her son.

“I’m sorry, Miss Grant, but it’s better this way. I am the last person on earth Adam wants to see. You’re going by yourself and having a lovely mother-son dinner with him while I hang out here and eat ice cream in my pajamas and binge-watch bad Christmas movies.” 

She smiled sympathetically and placed a warm hand on Cat’s shoulder where it had begun to twitch ever so slightly again. She couldn’t resist a tiny stroke of her thumb over the rough fabric. “You’ll be fine. Ask about him. Listen, don’t criticize. Just… be his mom. You do that every day with Carter.”

If she didn’t know any better, Kara would have sworn Cat’s eyes filled with tears so she drew Cat to her in a gentle hug. She could feel every one of Cat’s curves against her own as she laid her cheek against Cat’s damp head. In bare feet, Cat felt tiny and slight and so fragile. “I’ll leave the door between our rooms unlocked,” she whispered. Come in when you get back and we’ll talk.”

Kara drew back, and gave Cat a reassuring smile.

“I might take you up on that, Kara.” She picked up her coffee and took a sip. “The one with the ice sculptures is on tonight. It’s one of my favorites.”

Before Kara could respond, Cat retreated to her bathroom. The door closed with a quiet snick and Kara returned to her own room, trying in vain to put Cat out of her mind.

+++++++++++

Kara was dozing in her darkened room. The only light came from the television as a pretty blonde chased a magical reindeer across the screen. 

The door from Cat’s room creaked open and a tiny figure crept across the floor. Two heavy high heels dropped on the carpet and the bed dipped slightly. The shift on the bed woke Kara and she opened her eyes to see a blonde head, glowing in the flickering light of the tv, land on the pillow next to her own.

“Hey,” Kara whispered.

Cat’s breath caught at the sound of Kara’s voice, low and rough with sleep. Her fingers itched to move the stray lock of hair that fell across her cheek. Kara had been right. Cat had listened to Adam, bought him the drinks he liked, asked after his interests. After dinner he had shown her a couple of his favorite places in Opal City. She’d watched his eyes light up at the sight of the bay bridge lit up at night and of the skaters in Capitol Plaza as he told her of his disastrous first date with the girl he was seeing now. 

Cat was happy for him, and told him as much. It was that moment that she realized Kara had been right. They never would have had these moments, these intimacies, this new chance if Kara had been with them. Kara had given her a gift tonight and Cat made a mental note to thank her for it before being dragged into a chocolate shop where he bought her ‘the best truffles in town.’

He loved his city. He was happy. He was healthy. He was kind and funny and handsome and Cat adored him. He was her son. They had parted with a hug and a promise of a visit at Christmas so he could meet Carter and Cat’s heart was full and aching with love.

“You’re smiling,” Kara grinned and clutched her pillow.

“I am,” Cat confirmed. “He’s… wonderful.”

“Like his mom,” Kara’s heart skipped at seeing Cat so open and soft.

Cat could no longer resist the temptation to brush Kara’s hair back. She still had her glasses on, but Cat would know that hair and that confident smile anywhere. She lay across from Supergirl and the words didn’t need to be said. Kara wasn’t trying to hide it any longer. “I need to ask you something, Kara. Answer me honestly.”

Kara nodded, ignoring her fear.

“Why did you let him go?” Her voice caught and her eyes shone with tears that she refused to let fall.

Kara rolled onto her back. She focused on the ceiling and kept her breathing even and steady. The true reason rattled around in her mind, the truth that Kara always swore she would keep locked away. But in this darkened room with a soft, open happy Cat laying next to her fulfilling one of a hundred fantasies Kara never dreamed would come true, the truth slipped out anyway. “All the hundreds of reasons that are running through your head right now.” She squeezed her eyes shut and made a decision. “Plus one I always swore I’d never speak aloud.”

Cat didn’t move. “Tell me,” she breathed.

“You.” Kara didn’t hesitate, but that one word took all the energy she had left and she deflated before Cat’s eyes. A tear slipped down her face, leaving a tiny dot on the pillow.

Cat leaned up on her elbow and looked down at Kara’s anguished face. “Look at me.”

Kara, never able to deny this woman anything, turned her head and took Cat in completely, eyes sweeping over her warm expression, relaxed and smiling, the way her dress hugged her frame, but rode up slightly around the thighs where she had them tucked against her, lightly brushing Kara’s side. Cat barely moved, hardly dared to breathe but the room was buzzing now with a tension that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“Does that reason still apply?” Cat was unsure, but teasing, determined to keep things light.

Kara let out a laughing little sob as though she was getting everything and nothing all at once.

She sniffed and nodded but remained paralyzed by her own fear. Her hands were folded across her stomach and she tried desperately to keep from trembling as the energy in the room charged and Cat leaned closer.

“All this time?” She felt Cat’s words as much as heard them as her breath ghosted against Kara’s flushed cheek.

“Yup,” Kara mouthed, still staring at the ceiling, but very little sound escaped her lips as Cat leaned even closer.

Their noses were touching. Cat’s hand snuck across Kara’s own so their fingers entwined.

“I-” Kara started, but was interrupted as Cat’s lips met her own in a soft kiss. Kara let a desperate whimper escape as she freed one of her hands and buried it in Cat’s curls, pulling her closer and feeling every inch where their bodies and lips met.

The spaces between them closed, the kisses continued long and deep and without abandon.

Cat’s hand snuck beneath Kara’s shirt, ready to explore the expanses of perfect skin usually hid beneath yards of practical fabric when Kara broke the kiss.

Cat caught her breath and savored the feel of impossibly soft lips laid gently against her forehead. “Please don’t stop,” she breathed into Kara’s collarbone.

“We maybe shouldn’t… so fast… without… maybe we need to… talk? Or…” Kara’s inability to finish her sentences frustrated Cat but tugged at her heartstrings all at once.

“We’ve been dancing this dance for months, Kara. Years, if you want to split hairs about it. Nothing about this is fast. Do you really think I’m going to go back into my room alone now that I know what you feel like against me?”

Kara’s eyes flashed at the words and her entire body flooded with heat. Her hands fisted in the loose silk of Cat’s wraparound dress and she drew Cat’s lips to hers again. The end credits of the movie rolled as Kara unwrapped Cat like a gift.

++++++++++++++

An incessant ringing pulled Kara from the deepest sleep she’d had in weeks. She was surrounded by soft warmth. An expanse of silky pale skin lay beneath her spread hand and a tangle of blonde hair tickled her nose. The ringing, it seemed, was coming from the open door to Cat’s room where her clutch lay abandoned on the floor and her cell phone made itself known.

“Cat?” Kara whispered into her hairline, giving her bare shoulder a gentle shake. “Cat, your phone’s ringing.”

Cat burrowed further into Kara’s neck and Kara muffled a groan as Cat stretched and an errant knee found its way between her thighs. “Jesus, Cat. Your phone.” She buried her fingers in Cat’s wild curls.

“Fuck that,” Cat chuckled. The sound of her laughter hit Kara somewhere just below her belly. “I’m not moving. You’re like a space heater.” She snuggled a bit and the knee that had been innocently brushing her center became more purposeful and insistent.

“Cat Grant ignoring her phone?” Kara pulled her face up so their eyes could meet. “I must have done something right.”

“Mmm. Don’t get cocky, Supergirl. I’ll make you prove yourself again.” She laid a kiss on Kara’s jawline. “And again,” her cheek. “And again,” she pressed their lips together and pulled Kara on top of her. “Chop chop.”

Kara smiled and closed her lips over a hardening nipple.

A knock on the door in the other room startled Kara so much she bit down on Cat’s breast, causing her to cry out loudly and shove Kara away. “Ouch!”

“Cat?” A concerned male voice floated through Cat’s hotel room door as Kara hit the floor loudly and Cat held in a snort.

“Shit, It’s Adam.” Cat scrambled from the bed and tore into her own room, pulling the door to Kara’s room shut behind her. “Just a second, Adam,” she called innocently.

“I was picking up some danishes at the bakery around the corner and realized how close I was. I thought I’d bring you breakfast before you had to head to the airport.”

Cat donned her robe and batted at her hair in an attempt to make it look less like Kara Danvers’ fingers had been buried in it all night. She opened the door to reveal a clean-shaven, bright-eyed Adam on the other side. 

“That’s sweet, darling. Maybe you should wait in the lobby while I get ready?” 

To her dismay, Adam pushed his way inside. “Oh, that’s alright. I have it right here. We can have a quick breakfast, then I’ll get out of your hair.” He brandished a white bag and a tray of coffees. “I even got you a latte for the road.”

As the door shut behind him and the air in the room was displaced, the door to Kara’s room, which hadn’t quite latched, swung open. Cat’s eyes widened in horror as she and Adam turned to reveal Kara, not naked and bed-tossed as Cat expected, but fully showered, coiffed, dressed and packing her suitcase efficiently.

Thank God for superspeed, Cat thought as she fought the impulse to kiss Kara senseless for her quick thinking.

“Oops!” Kara giggled, reaching for the errant door. “It doesn’t shut quite right. I’ll have to let the front desk know.” She snuck a wink at Cat, who bit her lip to keep from smiling.

“Hi, Kara.” Adam said sheepishly. “I, uh, didn’t know you were here. Danish?”

Kara grinned gratefully. “Cat asked me to tag along to work on some time-sensitive contracts. Eve doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet. And thank you,” she changed the subject. “I’m starving.”

“As always,” Cat snarked.

“Good morning, Miss Grant.” Kara chirped back. 

Only Cat could hear the sensual undertones in the way Kara said her name and she sat on the bed to keep her knees from giving out.

Adam gave Kara a tight smile and moved to the dining area to set up. “Hey Cat?” He mused conversationally. “Why is your bed still made?”

Fin


End file.
